Such a racket is traditionally composed of a handle with a grip aligned in the longitudinal axis of a flat head, which head is composed of a frame holding a mesh composed of strings designed to strike the ball. The head is connected to the handle either directly, or through the intermediary of two converging shafts which form a V-shape. The part of the frame connecting the ends of the V-shaped part is known as the bridge.
Most existing tennis rackets are symmetric around their median longitudinal axis. During play, a tennis racket is used, among other things, to execute two main types of strokes: the forehand and backhand. The overall position of the plane of the racket strings at the time of impact with the ball is similar in these two strokes. At this time, the plane of the strings is virtually perpendicular to the ground and to the direction in which the ball is intended to be returned, with the head of the racket being elevated slightly in comparison with the grip.
To make it easier to hold the racket in this position, some manufacturers have envisaged making rackets in which the longitudinal axis of the strings is inclined slightly with respect to the axis of the handle. Although this kind of offsetting of the frame is useful in the forehand stroke, it is somewhat less useful in the backhand stroke, and moreover, is very cumbersome during service.
Others have designed frames having a wide variety of shapes, as is the case in document DE-A-3731529, whose object is to offset the striking center, or in documents EP-A-0351823 and DE-A-3634599. These known rackets, in which the strings are considerably asymmetric with respect to the axis of the grip, have the problem of accentuating the torque at the time of impact with the ball and thus causing the grip of the racket to rotate undesirably in the player's hand.
Another state of technology can be cited in document WO-A-90/14870, which provides arrangements designed to offset the center of gravity of the racket from its median longitudinal axis.